No Partiality

This past Sunday, we continued our series “The Great Politician.” Our goal with this series is simple: To reorient our trust back where it belongs- In Christ and Christ alone. We are not taking a political stance or pushing an agenda. We are simply trying to communicate where we believe scripture points us when it comes to the critical issue of where we place our trust.
In our message from this last week, we poked the hot button issue of immigration. It’s hard to think of another issue that brings out emotions on both sides in the church. Again, it is not my goal to take sides with this topic- I simply want to point us to God. Throughout both the Old Testament and the New Testament, God never wavers on his love for the outcast. It is a consistent theme from the beginning to the end of scriptures.
When it comes to the issue of immigration in our country, there’s a lot of fear that swirls around this topic. That fear doesn’t come from a lack of compassion, though it often leads to less than compassionate responses. Rather, I believe fear here comes from a lack of understanding. This was just as true with God’s people in the Old Testament.
Therefore, change your hearts and stop being stubborn. “For the Lord your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords. He is the great God, the mighty and awesome God, who shows no partiality and cannot be bribed. He ensures that orphans and widows receive justice. He shows love to the foreigners living among you and gives them food and clothing. So you, too, must show love to foreigners, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt. (Deuteronomy 10:16-19 NLT)
Notice what God calls out first and foremost: Our stubbornness. Stubbornness is often driven by fear, and fear is often a result of lack of understanding. And lack of understanding often results from forgetfulness. Let me show you what I mean.
This scripture says specifically that God shows no partiality. He doesn’t play favorites. His will doesn’t allow for injustice, and he ensures justice by loving not only His people, but ALL people- including those foreign to us.
Question: Is the world full of injustice? Wherever injustice exists in the world, that is a place where the world has fallen short of God’s divine will. Injustice often goes hand in hand with fear and misunderstanding. This is not God’s will. And this is the very place God’s people should be most active in trying to bring justice into the world. The places where we allow injustice to exist are the places where we are settling for less than all of God. But here’s what that means…

So you, too, must show love to foreigners, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt. (Deuteronomy 10:19 NLT)
Translation: Put yourselves in their shoes.
Do you remember what it was like before you met Jesus? Israel knew full well what it felt like to be a stranger in a foreign land. And perhaps you remember what it was like before you were a child of God. But more likely, you have actually forgotten what it was like. And that is the problem. Forgetfulness leads to lack of understanding, which leads to fear, which breeds stubbornness. And yet God is calling us to exactly the opposite. He is calling us to remember. Remember how you want to be treated. Remember the love you needed when you were an outsider. Remember I love them like I love you.
Immigration is still a difficult topic today. And it will be tomorrow. But knowing what God would have us do isn’t difficult. It’s easy. In the midst of the controversy, be compassionate. Never forget who you were. Never forget who Christ wants you to be for the alien and stranger among us.
To learn more about the realities of immigration, CLICK HERE for an immigration fact sheet.